


Sharing Smiles

by Ray_Writes



Series: Tumblr Prompts [34]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Accidental Marriage, F/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-26 06:44:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14995100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ray_Writes/pseuds/Ray_Writes
Summary: A misunderstanding on an alien planet adds a new complication to Donna and the Doctor’s “just mates” relationship.





	Sharing Smiles

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of the last sentence prompt fills for my anonymous tumblr friend. I've actually already written the other one, but it's set in an expecting-parents!Doctor/Donna 'verse, and I'm not sure whether to tie that in to New Adventure or not. If any of you all have opinions/advice on that, let me know in the comments. And as always, feel free to tell me what you thought of this!

In all fairness, he had warned her. He’d even had her repeat it back to him twice, just to make sure she got the point.

“The Bedars do not smile. They’re mostly humanoid, but because of their muscular structure, it is extremely difficult to form that shape with their mouths.”

“What, like how they’re always going on about how it takes humans more muscles to frown than it does to smile?”

“Something like that. Now, it’s not that they  _ can’t _ smile. They’re capable, it just takes a lot of effort. So a smile has a much different cultural context to it.”

“What’s the context?”

“Well, it — you know what? Best not to get into it. Point is, they’ve got the best thermo couplings in the universe, so we’re just stopping by to pick some up for the TARDIS. Then right back in the box.”

“And no smiling there until back again?”

He gave her a single nod and what looked to be the slightest twitch of his lips which he had to fight to control. “Right.”

Truthfully, Donna had been more worried about him at the outset; of the two, she certainly wasn’t the one that could be described as a puppy, after all. But the Doctor had marched up to one of the booths and seriously inquired about the pricing on their thermo couplings. The haggling was taking a bit, so Donna wandered around to look at any of the other booths. She kept one hand in her pocket, closed around her phone as a reminder of the texts from her mum waiting for reply. That put a damper on things enough to keep her from getting too carried away by the little trinkets on display.

She’d just rounded the corner into another aisle when she plowed straight into someone. “Oh, sorry!”

Too late, Donna realized her lips had curved up in an apologetic smile. She and the Bedar both froze.

“Um,” she stammered.

“I...never thought this day would come,” the man said. He was about an inch shorter than her with a squat nose and very little hair. “What is your name?”

“Donna,” she told him. 

“I’m Farran.”

“Nice to meet you. But listen, I wasn’t—”

“Donna,” Farran repeated. He gritted his teeth, and then with what seemed to be incredible effort forced some sort of grimace on his face. “Come, we shall be wed by nightfall!”

“Sorry,  _ what _ ?” Donna demanded, but she’d been seized by the arm and was being dragged along. He was a lot stronger than he looked! “Oi! Doctor! Little help here!”

Where the hell was that skinny Spaceman whenever she needed him?

Donna was taken to a long, one-story building which she learned was Farran’s family’s home. A lot of people all swarmed about to greet her and were talking over themselves so loudly she could barely get a word in edgewise for once. Apparently, Farran had been given up as a lost cause years ago for any prospects of marriage or a proper job — which caused Donna to feel a slight twinge of empathy for her fiancé even if she was right pissed with him for dragging her off to be married.

Why did this always happen to her? She was supposed to be traveling the universe with the Doctor, not getting hitched! Donna knew it was a one or the other kind of deal, and she had already made her decision. Of course, if she couldn’t get herself out of this or the Doctor never found her, she might be forced into the other choice and never see him again. The very thought caused a horrible pang to her heart.

Someone was sent out to get what she assumed was the Bedarian equivalent of a priest, and Donna had a sort of ill-fitting mustard yellow robe thrown over her head. She was still struggling to find the proper holes for her arms and head when she was led into a large room with rows of people sitting on benches and a small dias at the front. Farran was already standing there in his own robe, which clashed awfully with his hair, and he attempted that same grimace-smile as she was pushed up onto the dias.

“Farran, you don’t get it. I didn’t mean to smile at you!” She hissed, not wanting to embarrass him too badly in front of what was probably everyone he knew.

“But you must have! It was a beautiful smile. It must have taken you ages!”

“No, that’s the thing. I’m not a Bedar. My face muscles don’t work the same as yours.”

“I don’t understand,” he said, wringing his hands together.

“Yeah, exactly.”

A third man stepped up to the dias. His robe was an even less flattering color resembling something like overcooked asparagus. “I have been given to understand an exchange of intent has taken place?”

“Oh, bloody—”

“Alright, I think this has gone far enough,” a familiar voice called from the back of the room.

“Doctor!” She spun around, more relieved than she’d ever been to hear him.

He made his way down the aisle at a bit of a run with a goofy grin. “Did you miss me?”

Donna gestured around at her current predicament. “What do you think?” It was only the fear of tripping over the stupid robe that had kept her from leaping into his arms.

He shrugged in an exaggerated sort of way. “Could have fooled me. Why wasn’t I invited to your wedding?”

“Is that really the part that’s bothering you?” Donna demanded. Was he seriously going to have a bit of fun with this? “I didn’t exactly have the time to draw up a guest list!”

“It just seems the sort of thing I’d be invited to,” he continued, his chest puffing up slightly. “Being your husband and all.”

A gasp went up all around the room, which fortunately covered up Donna’s gasp. When the Doctor shot her a look a moment later, she snapped her mouth shut. Right. Plan first, be shocked about the plan later.

“That cannot be!” Farran stared at her in dismay.

“Yeah, sorry, it is,” Donna lied. She slipped her hand into the crook of the Doctor’s elbow and placed herself just slightly behind him to get some distance from her would-be-groom.

“What proof would you present to those in attendance?” The Bedarian officiant asked.

“Well, you saw just now when I came in. Donna smiled right at me and I likewise. It didn’t take a second. It’s as the old Bedarian proverb states: with love, even the heaviest burden is lifted,” he intoned.

There were quiet murmurs all around the room.

“You didn’t just make that up, did you?” Donna muttered.

“What? Course not.”

“But — at the market,” Farran said, though he looked very much like a man who knew he had the losing argument.

“If Donna smiled at you in the marketplace, Farran, then I apologize.”

“ _ We _ apologize,” Donna corrected. She didn’t need him speaking for her, thanks very much. “I was just looking for the Doctor. Thought I’d bumped into him, you know how it is.”

She watched the Doctor look to the much shorter, much balder Farran and then turn back to her with his left eyebrow arched to a ridiculous degree. Donna had to struggle very hard to fight down a cheeky smirk.

Farran heaved a sigh. “And I really had thought…” He didn’t choose to finish, simply shrugging in defeat.

“I really am sorry, Farran. But I’m sure there’s someone out there for you,” Donna gently encouraged him, stepping forward again. “Maybe try being the first one to smile. You gotta take the initiative sometimes. I was running around a whole year before I tracked this one down,” she said, jerking a thumb in the Doctor’s direction. Meeting her eyes, Spaceman beamed a little, though he seemed to remember himself after a moment.

“I can see your point,” Farran acknowledged.

“Then good.” Donna tugged the robe off and dropped it on the dias. She accepted the Doctor’s hand down even if it was only about half a foot. Probably made them look more convincing. “Got the thermo couplings?”

“Right here,” he answered, patting his breast pocket.

“Let’s go home.”

They walked down the aisle and out the doors hand in hand. Donna still left her hand in his after they were out of sight, mostly because she wasn’t entirely clear which direction the TARDIS was in.

“Thanks, for that,” she managed eventually. “Another disastrous marriage averted. Starting to wonder why I don’t want to be single.”

“Well, you still aren’t.”

She stopped, tugging him to a halt with her. “What do you mean?”

His free hand went up to the back of his neck. “Er, well, to get you out of that — you know — so, um...by Bedarian customs, we  _ are _ married.”

Donna gaped at him. “But we’re not even a couple! What are we supposed to tell people? No, we’re not a couple, but we’re married on this one planet in the universe?”

The Doctor considered that for a moment. “It checks out.”

She finally had the presence of mind to drop his hand and turn away. “ _ Unbelievable _ .”

“Donna,” the Doctor groaned. “So we’re married. We don’t actually have to tell anyone. It’ll just be between us.”

“But this isn’t how I wanted us to get married!” She realized only a moment later the mistake she’d blurted out. “Me! How I wanted  _ me _ to get married!”

The Doctor was staring at her with wide eyes. “Donna…?”

Nope. She was not ready to have this conversation. Not even with her husband.

“Next time, you’re going and getting the thermo couplings by yourself,” Donna decided in a rush, then took off at a quick march for the TARDIS.

She wasn’t smiling for a week after this.


End file.
